In a staff memo, the Office of Generics Drug’s acting director, Kathleen Uhl, vowed to take action on 90% of the abbreviated new drug application backlog before October 2017, and has appointed Ted Sherwood as acting director of OGD’s Office of Regulatory Operations to help with the improvements, FDANews.com has reported.

After a recent spike in the prices charged for some generic drugs led to outcries from pharmacists, patient advocates and federal lawmakers, a report issued last month suggests that drug costs can be controlled if the Food and Drug Administration changes the way it handles reviews and approvals.

Thirty years ago, Democratic and Republican members of Congress hammered out a rare and prescient bipartisan compromise bill that transformed the pharmaceutical landscape forever and unleashed the modern generic drug industry. That law, known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, has proven to be one of the most far-reaching and impactful pieces of legislation ever to shape the American healthcare system.

Sandoz last week announced the launch of a generic version of cyclophosphamide injection, USP. Sandoz is launching the drug through collaboration with Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., which owns the product's abbreviated new drug application.

As the Food and Drug Administration begins to explore ways to improve its user-fee program for generic drugs, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and its members have weighed in with suggestions on how to shore up the law to ensure that it helps bring generics to market faster and provides benefits across the entire healthcare system.

The Food and Drug Administration will be hosting an all-day hearing on Sept. 17 seeking public comment on five draft guidance documents related to the implementation of the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012, as well as input on future policy priorities.

On June 25, the U.S. Department of Justice, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, filed a complaint for permanent injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Laclede of Rancho Dominguez, Calif., and its president, Michael Pellico.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Thursday announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware finding Bristol-Myers Squibb's entecavir compound claim of U.S. Patent No. 5,206,244 invalid.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International announced that its subsidiary, Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America, received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its new drug application for Jublia (efinaconazole 10% topical solution). The drug is the first topical triazole approved for the treatment of onychomycosis of the toenails, the company said.

Mylan announced on Monday that it has entered into a settlement and license agreement with Pfizer relating to Mylan's abbreviated new drug application filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for celecoxib capsules in 50-mg, 100-mg, 200-mg and 400-mg strengths.

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Pharmacy’s battle for recognition continues

Fifty years ago this summer, President Lyndon B. Johnson secured his place in history by signing into law the legislation that created Medicare and Medicaid. To commemorate the anniversary, Drug Store News has put together an exclusive report on the effect that Medicare and Medicaid have had on the retail pharmacy industry and how it has transformed the role of the pharmacist. more...

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